Danny Bourque / The Times-PicayuneRose Johnson straightens items on a dresser as Herman Smith looks on; the two closed on their Central City home in June.

For the past three years, faith-based and nonprofit organizations have been sending volunteers into the field to gut, paint, hang drywall and lay floors. We've written frequently about those lending a hand to the city's recovery. We've also written frequently about residents on the receiving end of such help.

"We have clear title to 51 lots we plan to build on, " said Jericho Road Communications Director Holly Heine. The organization has built 17 houses in Central City since August 2006.

Here are snapshots of two families who finally found homes, just in the past few months, thanks to JerichoRoad (www.jerichoroad.org).

Rose Johnson and Herman Smith

Neighborhood: Central City

House type: Single shotgun

The story: Rose Johnson and Herman Smith lived for 17 years in an upper rear apartment on Seventh Street. Next door was a vacant lot. "I used to tell my children that if they ever put a house on that lot, it was going to be mine, " Johnson said.

The couple evacuated briefly to Baton Rouge for Katrina, then returned to their Central City apartment. Then, in January, volunteers started pouring a foundation for a house on the lot next door. "I found out who was building it and went right down there to apply to buy it, " Johnson said.

Thanks to the efforts of Jericho Road and assistance from often tireless people at Neighborhood Housing Services, ReMax Real Estate and Gulf Coast Bank, she and Smith qualified as first-time home-buyers. In June, the two closed on their new home.

"I would go over and ask the workers if I could walk through the house, " Johnson said. "They would say, 'Yes, but it's already sold.' I never said a word about the buyer being me."

Now, a simple white card from some of those same volunteer workers is displayed in a magnetic frame on the refrigerator door. "Welcome home, " it says. "We love you and want you to know that people are praying for you."

Johnson and Smith are having the house blessed by their pastor next week. "We're so blessed at having it, " Johnson said. "I never thought I would live to see that dream come true."

Michael DeMocker / The Times-PicayuneEdmund, Jamie and Sheila Aubert relax in the living room of the home they bought in May through the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative.

Edmund and Sheila Aubert

Neighborhood: Central City

House type: Modular shotgun

The story: The Auberts resisted evacuating for the storm, but one of their four daughters -- named Katrina -- convinced them they had to go. The couple moved around a lot in those first days, including one interlude spent camping out. They wound up in Dallas, where they saw their lower Gentilly neighborhood on TV -- with roofs under water. "We had an apartment in Dallas, but it wasn't a home, " Sheila Aubert aid. "We missed the love in New Orleans -- here, people hug you and talk to you. We missed this city's sense of compassion."

In October 2006, they returned to New Orleans and moved in with a daughter. Edmund Aubert returned to work at the InterContinental Hotel, but the family's Buchanan Street home was a total loss. "The whole thing was pitch black, like a Freddie Kreuger movie, " Sheila Aubert said.

They struggled through insurance negotiations and Road Home aggravation. The insurance settlement paid off their mortgage. When their Road Home grant finally came through, they chose the buy-out option, and turned over the family property to the state.

"I heard they were going to tear it down, " said Edmund Aubert, who occasionally drives by the old homestead. "All the houses on the street are boarded up. Nobody's back."

When they began looking for a new house, a ReMax agent told them about the Jericho Road project. They closed on their three-bedroom modular house in May. They love the wood floors, open floor plan, high cabinets and central air-conditioning, and have filled the living room with bright bouquets of artificial flowers and a pair of over-stuffed sofas.

"It's way better than what we had, " said daughter Jamie Aubert, 25, who lives with her parents. "It's a miracle, " her mother agreed.

. . . . . . .

Despite such success stories, hundreds of families are still waiting to finish their rebuilds. The Preservation Resource Center's Rebuilding Together program (www.rtno.org) hopes to help a number of them with its annual October Build, in which local volunteers team up to work on houses (call 504.636.3076 or e-mail svissar@prcno.org to sign up).

So far, the organization has completed 100 rebuilds, with 39 more under way, the work done by 4,705 volunteers and counting. Here are a few of the people the October Build teams will be helping; their stories were gathered by Jonathan Skvarka of Rebuilding Together.

Gwendolyn Payne Kelly

Neighborhood: Treme

House type: Double shotgun

The story: Kelly, born at Charity Hospital in 1947, has weathered not one, but two killer hurricanes -- Betsy in 1965 and Katrina in 2005. The first halted her plans to attend college. Instead, she married, became office manager for an eye clinic and had two children, also born at Charity.

She bought her house in Treme from her grandmother in 1981, and considers the closely knit neighborhood an integral part of family life. She plays bingo every week, and attends church with 16 family members and neighbors. Each Sunday after services, a different family member hosts dinner; when it's Kelly's turn, she makes her famous gumbo.

Kelly's family evacuated en masse to Georgia, where they stayed with a relative. She's back, but her rebuild isn't quite complete. Because of arthritic knees, which currently have her using a walker, the house needs a ramp. Volunteers at the next October Build plan to construct one for her, making sure that she will be able to live independently for the long term.

"There's no place like home and family in the Treme, " she said.

Rebuilding TogetherMarilyn Capers, flanked by her daughters, is living in an apartment while she struggles to finish repairing her home.

Roy and Marilyn Capers

Neighborhood: Hollygrove

House type: Two-story residence

The story: Roy Capers, 51, and his wife, Marilyn, 46, have almost finished rebuilding their home and their lives following Katrina. Roy Capers is legally blind, and he retired more than two decades ago. His wife works at Children's Hospital.

The Capers are living in an apartment, waiting for their home to be completed. They've exhausted their Road Home money, and need a final push of work before they can move back in. The October Build project has dedicated a team of 15 to 20 volunteers to scrape and paint the exterior of their house.

With luck, they can celebrate the holidays there.

Rebuilding TogetherCharlie Taylor depleted his savings on a new roof and gutting, but hopes to someday return to his Chartres Street double.

Charlie Taylor

Neighborhood: Holy Cross

House type: Shotgun double

The story: Charlie Taylor, 77, worked for 15 years as a longshoreman on the Industrial Canal. A serious accident cost him his eyesight, forcing him to retire. He lived quietly in Holy Cross until Katrina struck.

He fled his house as the floodwaters rose, and spent six days in the Superdome, two days at Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport and a week in a Louisiana town named Caroline until he was found and rescued by his daughter. He now lives with her in Dallas.

Taylor's spacious double shotgun suffered extensive wind and flood damage. He used all his savings to repair the roof and get the home gutted. Today, he also suffers from back and hip degeneration, but still hopes to find more resources so he can return to Holy Cross.

The October Build crew will tackle the next step in the process, which is scraping and painting the exterior of the house.

Cynthia Barriere

Neighborhood: Holy Cross

House type: Single shotgun

The story: Cynthia Barriere, 59, is a mother of five and grandmother of 14. She grew up in the 7th Ward, bought her house in Holy Cross more than 15 years ago and has worked all her life as a nurse's assistant.

With her Road Home grant, she was able to complete most of the necessary repairs to her single shotgun. She'll be able to move back in as soon as Rebuilding Together volunteers finish painting the interiors, installing the wood floors and scraping, caulking and painting the exterior.